Chapter 13: Khizir Post-mortem

One spring morning, Haleema receives a call from Izhar, a journalist who advises her to register her case with the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Boulevard Road to strengthen her case. Despite her initial reluctance, Haleema decides to follow through. The SHRC office, a government institution, is depicted as largely ineffective, with its chairman frankly acknowledging the limitations of the commission. However, he advises Haleema to proceed with the registration for the sake of documentation and potential future leverage. Later, Haleema visits the PCR mortuary to obtain a certificate confirming that her son’s body has not been received. She meets Khizir, a seasoned coroner known for his extensive experience with post-mortems. Khizir, a man deeply marked by his decades of work with the dead, provides a grim perspective on the nature of his job and the difficulties in identifying individuals from mutilated bodies. He shares his personal experiences and the psychological toll of his work, offering some solace to Haleema by agreeing to help her with the necessary documentation.

Khizir mentions that he has recently heard of a body found in Wular Lake, which might be related to Imran. This information unsettles Haleema, who, accompanied by Shafiqa, seeks out the Gujjar boy who discovered the body. The boy leads them to the marshy area where the body was found, but despite their efforts and Haleema’s emotional pleas, the body they find is not her son. The narrative captures Haleema’s profound grief, determination, and the harsh realities of dealing with missing persons and the dead in a conflict zone. It paints a vivid picture of her struggle, the bureaucratic obstacles she faces, and the emotional and psychological burdens that accompany her search.